Draft-gear yoke.



W. mccowwAmw.

DRAFT GEAR YOKE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I2. 1917.

rr ear ra WILLIAIVI IVIQCONWAY, JB., OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCONVJAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A COB-PO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAFT-GEAR YOKE.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 180,143.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIA'M McConwAY, Jr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gear Yokes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of yokes forming an element of draft gear for railway cars. The principal object of the invention is to produce a simple, strong, durable and eiiicient yoke of a form well adapted to permit the spring-pocket or loop portion thereof to be made of wrought metal rather than of cast metal. The invention, however, is not limited to the character of metal that is preferably employed.

As is well known, it is impossible to secure, even with the best foundry practice, castings uniformly free from internal flaws and blow holes, while well worked wrought iron is far more reliable, being entirely free from such holes and practically without flaws of other kinds. A. yoke constructed in accordance with my invention readily lends itself to the use of the most reliable material for forming the main portion of the yoke, while the portion which is cast may be restricted to a comparatively small part of the device conforming to the rear end of the car coupler associated with and connected to the yoke. Such a construction practically limits breakages of the yoke to those which are due to flaws in the cast portion thereof. Should such breakage occur it is not necessary to scrap the entire device, but the wrought metal part may be employed again upon a renewal of the castportion.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a draft gear yoke embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical central section, of the yoke shown in Fig. 1, the relation of the coupler thereto being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken on the line 33, Fig.2.

The yoke comprises a head 1 ada iited to be connected to the rear end of a car coupler, and a loop or strap member 2 forming a spring-pocket which is adapted to receive the usual springs and followers (not shown) or other cushioning unit. The head 1 is preferably formed of cast steel, while the spring-pocket member 2 is preferably of wrought iron. I

The cast metal head 1 is provided with a plurality of forwardly extending spaced outer lugs 3 and is also preferably provided with an intermediate lug l. These lugs 3 and 41 are adapted to overlap the rear end of the coupler 5 and to be connected there o by means of a pivot pin 6. which passes through corresponding alined openings 7. 7 and 8 in the respective lugs.

The forwardly extending lugs 3, 3 and 1 of the head 1 are rigidly connected at their bases by the transversely extending portions 9, which latter are preferably provided with curved forward faces 10 adapted to cooperate with a coupler having a correspond ingly curved rear end. To the rear of the portions 9, 9, and in spaced relation longitudinally with respect thereto, the head 1 is fashioned with a rear face or wall 11 that is adapted to engage the forward follower of any well-known form of cushioning device or unit (not shown). The space or chamber 12 between the portions 10, 10 and 11 of the head 1 receives the transversely extending forward portions 13 of the springpocket member 2. Rivets 1 1, which pass through the portions 9, 9 and 11 of the head and through the inturned ends of the pocket member 2, are the fastening devices preferably employed to secure the pocket member.

to the head 1. The rear wall 11 of the yoke head 1 preferably terminates short of the full height of the head, the outer faces of the arms 15 of the spring-pocket member 2 being thus enabled to be kept within the vertical dimension of the head. Lugs or flanges 16 are preferably formed on each side of the yoke head, both above and below, to engage the corresponding edges of the yoke arms 15 and thus contribute to the security of the connection between the head and spring-pocket member. The flanges 16 in conjunction with the shortened rear wall 11 of the head form. depressed seats for receiving the forward portions of the arms 15 of the pocket member.

I claim:

1. A draft gear yoke comprising a head adapted to be connected to a car coupler, a springpocket member, and means for securing sai'd spring-pocket member to said head, said head having forwardly extending spaced lugs adapted to receive the coupler between them and to engage! means for attaching the coupler to the draft yoke and also having portions spaced longi udinally of the yoke and adapted .to receive a trans attaching the coupler to the draftyoke, and

also having portions spaced longitudinally of the yoke and adapted to receive between them transversely extending portions of said spring-pocket member, one of said longit-udinally spaced portions being adapted to engage a forward follower of a cushioning mechanism.

3. A. draft gear yoke comprising a head adapted to be connected to a car coupler, a spring-pocket member, and means for securing said spring-pocket member to said head, said head having a plurality of forwardly extending lugs provided with alined perforations adapted to receive a device for securing the coupler to said yoke, one of said lugs being between others, and said means for securing said spring-pocket to said head including a plurality of fastening devices each passing through'said head and springpocket intermediate of adjacent lugs.

4-. A draft gear yoke comprising a head raving a plurality of spaced lugs adapted to engage means for connecting a car coupler thereto, a spring-pocket member, and

means for securing said spring-pocket mem her to said head, said means involving a plurality of fastening devices passing through. said head and spring-pocket and alternately disposed with relation to the said lugs.

5'. A draft gear yoke comprisinga head,

and a spring-pocket.member, said head .being provlded with means whereby it may be connected to a car coupler and being formed with depressed seats adapted to receive por tions of the arms of said, spring-pocket member, and said spring-pocket member having inturned forward ends.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM M ooNwAY, JR.

fiopiesptthis patent; may be obtained for .five cents, each, by addressing the Commissioner of latente,

Washington, D. G. 

